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Dr Katarzyna Kita-Tokarczyk
Title
Senior Translational Research Fellow (Membrane interactions for biomedical materials and drug delivery)BHRC Role
STRF
Research Interests
- Polymer interfaces
- Membranes
- Colloidal systems
- Self-assembly
- Langmuir monolayers
- Biomaterials
- Bioinspired mineralization
About
MSc in Chemistry; 1997; Jagiellonian University (Krakow, Poland), Dept. of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry;
PhD in Chemistry (with honors); 2002; Jagiellonian University (Krakow, Poland), Dept. of General Chemistry;
Post-doc with Prof. Wolfgang Meier at the University of Basel (Switzerland), Dept. of Chemistry: 1) self-assembly and interfacial behavior of amphiphilic block copolymers, 2) membrane interactions between synthetic polymeric amphiphiles and natural membrane components, 3) controlled inorganic precipitation templated by polymer monolayers.
Katarzyna is interested in interactions between synthetic, amphiphilic block copolymers with natural amphiphiles (lipids, peptides, proteins) and inorganic materials. Understanding these interactions is crucial for development of membrane-specific drug delivery platforms, protein-based nanodevices, and novel biomaterials for tissue engineering. Synthetic polymers are studied, where robust self assembly properties can be regulated by the polymer size and chemical structure. Controlled nanoscale organization, degradability, and the possibilities of polymer functionalization make amphiphilic block copolymers particularly interesting for bioenginnering and biomedical sciences. Their combination with natural amphiphiles and inorganics leads to composites with even more complex properties (structure and function), which Katarzyna is curious to explore for the development of novel biologically and medically relevant applications.
Collaboration
Previous Collaborations
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Meier – University of Basel (CH), Department of Chemistry (self-assembly in block copolymer – based systems); http://www.chemie.unibas.ch/~meier/
Prof. Dr. Andreas Taubert – University of Potsdam (D), Institute of Chemistry (bioinspired mineralization of block copolymer monolayers); http://www.chem.uni-potsdam.de/atb/index.htm
Dr. Peggy Rossbach – Empa Duebendorf (CH), Organic Surface Technology Group (monolayer interactions between natural membrane components and block copolymers); http://www.empa.ch/plugin/template/empa/995/*/—/l=2
Dr. Manfred Zinn – Empa St. Gallen (CH), Department of Biomaterials (polyhydroxyalkenoate polymers for orthopedic tissue engineering); http://www.empa.ch/plugin/template/empa/852/*/—/l=2
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